YOU CAN’T miss him if you drive into Petersfield from the south side of town during peak hours.

He’s King of the road – Steve King, to be precise – and The Causeway has been his domain since the Beast from the East was vanquished.

The 49-year-old, from Bedhampton, is the ‘happy-go-lucky’ man who controls the temporary traffic lights every rush hour. His mission is to make sitting in traffic more bearable and it’s working, as he’s been showered with gifts and gratitude since first appearing during the depths of winter.

“I love doing it and I look forward to coming here every day,” said the father-of-three.

“The people up here are so friendly and it’s a lovely area. What I really want to do now is rent a room up here.”

The traffic management operator had only made one visit to Petersfield with his employers, Sun Traffic, beforehand as he helped out with a Remembrance parade a few years ago.

He’s now a local celebrity of sorts – people ask questions when he’s not manning the lights – and he feels at home in the town.

Steve works seven days a week and the usual shift consists of a three-hour stint on The Causeway in the morning and evening, and a similar job in a different part of the county in between.

He has been given a chair but the ever-smiling operator prefers to stand as he can gauge the length of the queues more easily.

He said: “People up here are quite understanding.

“Everybody seems to know me by name. I’ve been given bottles of wine, chocolates, fags, which makes a nice change from people throwing stuff.”

The good or bad news, depending on your viewpoint, is that the roadworks on the busy town road have been extended by four months due to utilities work.

Steve can’t say anything about the extension but needless to say he’s happy to stay put.

He added: “When I hear about people asking where I am when I’m not here, well, that makes me feel good.

“It’s nice to know people appreciate what you’re doing.”